Adam Ant is the stage name of Stuart Leslie Goddard (born November 3, 1954, London, England), who was the lead singer of the highly successful 1980s pop group Adam and the Ants. Though he started out playing jagged punk rock music, he gradually altered his image, evolving to a more mainstream pop star. Similar to David Bowie, Madonna, and other famous shapeshifters in popular music, Adam was notorious for reinventing his image with each subsequent album release.

Ant was representative of the 'Art School Punk' contingent that were followers of the original punk groups and can be seen in the audience in film of early Censored page gigs. His first major outing as an actor was in 1978 in the Derek Jarman film "Jubilee" both as a character actor and performing songs. One of the tracks from the Jubilee soundtrack 'Deutscher Girls' was released as a single once the Ants had chart success in 1981.

Unquestionably, the high point of Adam Ant's career happened in the very early 1980s. In the first two or three years of the decade, Adam and the Ants had several chart topping hits, including "Stand and Deliver," "Dog Eat Dog," "Prince Charming," and "AntRap." The early days of MTV provided Adam with another vehicle to get his image and message to the masses - the promotional video. Similar to contemporaries Duran Duran, Adam became one of the first pop video stars. Adam's colorful, charismatic onscreen persona was perfect for the new medium.

Adam's greatest solo success was during the "Friend or Foe" album era, which included the hit single "Goody Two Shoes." Other hits during this early 1980s timeframe were "Desperate but not Serious" and "Hello, I Love You." Later in the 1980s, Adam worked with producers including Phil Collins (on the "Strip" album), and veteran Tony Visconti ("Vive Le Rock"), achieving varying degrees of success on the charts. In 1985 Ant stlll had enough appeal to secure a spot at the "Live Aid" concert but rather than perform a crowd pleasing set of old hits (as Queen did to revive their career) he did songs from the latest album and as a result his sales continued to decline. As the 80s wore on, Adam's attention turned toward acting, with an emphasis on TV and movie roles.

The turn of the decade, 1990, saw Adam Ant re-entering the pop music world with the album "Manners and Physique," a collaboration with Andre Cymone, a solo artist and an early member of Prince's band. The album was another moderate success, and featured the hit single "Room at the Top." In 1993, Adam toured in support of a planned album called "Persuasion." For reasons known only to Adam, his entourage, and MCA Records, the album is still unreleased to this day. By this time Ant had relocated to Los Angeles and had a long term relationship with Heather Graham. He had also acquired a stalker which placed him under great stress and as Graham's career took off the relationship faltered.

The mid-1990s was a time of reinvention for Adam, as he re-entered the pop music world with the album "Wonderful." The title track was a success, as was a tour of the U.S. in support of the album. While Adam and his group (which included longtime partner Marco Pirroni) played in smaller venues than they had played in the 1980s, the houses were often packed with enthusiastic fans. A new generation of Ant-influenced artists covered Adam and the Ants' hits during the 90s, including Elastica, Sugar Ray, Trent Reznor, and Robbie Williams.

"Antbox," a retrospective box set spanning Adam's career from the late 1970s through the 1990s, was released in late 2001. The box set included 66 tracks on three CDs, and quickly sold through the initial 10,000 units. Adam was poised to join an 80s focused tribute tour in early 2002. The plans were derailed when an altercation in a pub in England led to a brush with the law, and the revelation that Adam suffered from bipolar disorder, the mental illness commonly known as "manic depression" - to which some attibute his extraordinary creativity (to see with whom he shares this identification, click on the People with Bipolar Disorder category link at the foot of this page). Since the 2002 incident, Adam has occasionally been featured in news stories surrounding potential projects, his medical condition, as well as tribute bands devoted to celebrating his career. A television special entitled "The Madness of Prince Charming" was aired in the UK in 2003 documenting Adam's career highlights, as well as his struggle with mental illness.

Contents

1 Discography Highlights 1.1 Albums 1.2 Singles and other releases (non album material) 1.3 Videos

Discography Highlights

Albums

• Dirk Wears White Sox - released 1979, re-issued with bonus tracks 2004
• Kings of the Wild Frontier - released 1980, re-issued with bonus tracks 2004
• Prince Charming - released 1981, re-issued with bonus tracks 2004
• Friend or Foe - released 1982
• Strip - released 1983
• Vive Le Rock - released 1985
• Manners and Physique - released 1990
• Persuasion - unreleased 1993
• B-Side Babies - released 1994
• Wonderful - released 1995

Singles and other releases (non album material)

• Young Parisians / Lady - single - released 1978
• Deutscher Girls / Plastic Surgery - single - released 1979
• Zerox / Whip in my Valise - single - released 1979
• Antmusic EP - extended play - released 1980
• Antbox - box set - released 2001

Videos

Prince Charming Revue - Concert video - released 1981

Antics in the Forbidden Zone - Compilation - released 1990